The invention relates broadly to structures used to keep debris from gutters, and more particularly to a structure for preventing leaves from entering into gutters.
Rain gutters (also known as eavestroughs or, gutters) are narrow channels or troughs that collect and divert water flowing off of a roof. Gutters have been disposed at roof edges for centuries to catch precipitation and either redirect it to a storage vessel, such as an underground cistern, or away from the foundation of the building to prevent the precipitation from damaging the building to which the gutters are attached. Conventional gutters mount to a face of the building, such as a soffit fascia, with the lip of the rear edge of the gutter just under the drip edge of the building's roof. When water runs down the roof, it falls under the force of gravity into the gutter, collects in pools and flows by gravity out of the inclined gutter into a vertical downspout. The downspout carries the water to a storage vessel or away from the foundation of the building.
Solid particles that fall onto roofs also fall into uncovered gutters. For example, sticks, leaves, seeds, needles and other particles fall onto roofs, typically from overhanging trees, and then roll or slide into gutters. Smaller particles in small quantities can be carried by rain water out of gutters and are harmless, other than when they deteriorate in cisterns and cause spoilage. However, sticks and larger particles, or small particles in larger quantities, cannot be carried away by the water flowing in a gutter. Such sticks and particles collect together to form a barricade, and then smaller particles are filtered by the debris to block the satisfactory flow of water from the gutter into the downspout. The water then collects in the gutter and creates a sanitary hazard and/or overflows, thereby damaging the building and gutter and defeating the purpose of the gutter system.
There are numerous systems for preventing, or reducing, the infiltration of particles into the open tops of gutters. These are placed over gutters to keep water flowing instead of being clogged by leaves and debris. These systems include porous, filtering materials, such as expanded metal and polymer screens, along with solid “caps” that drive solid particles over the cap while depending on the surface tension of water to flow over the cap and gutter and around a solid panel into the gutter. Brush-like structures have also been placed in gutters, and coiled, spring-shaped wire structures have been placed in gutters to extend along the length of the gutter. One problem with the coil apparatus is that leaves and other debris that are low-hanging through the wires cannot clear the far edge of the gutter as they move downhill and they catch the far edge of the gutter. The surface tension method using a sheet-type cap over the gutter appears to be the best at self-clearing, but it can cause a mold slime-like formation in the darkened gutter.
The prior art of which the inventor is aware provides advantages over an open-top gutter, but also disadvantages. To applicant's knowledge, all prior art fails to provide sufficient certainty that debris will neither clog the gutter nor the filtering apparatus. Therefore, the need exists for a method and means for keeping gutters clear of leaves and other debris while allowing sunlight and airflow into the gutter, which reduces mold and slime buildup on the filter and gutter.